UPDATE: The Semans were rescued from their home late Tuesday night after being snowed in for 15 days.

ANTELOPE, S.D. (KELO) — On December 12, 2022, OJ and Barb Semans returned to their home not knowing that they wouldn’t have the chance to leave again for several weeks.

Two weeks of blizzards, ice storms, and below zero temperatures swept across South Dakota in the weeks leading up to Christmas and while most of the state has begun snow removal, people on the Rosebud Reservation are still in desperate need of help from state and federal agencies.

For 15 days, families like the Semans have been trapped inside their homes, relying on dwindling food, propane and dealing with the threat of frozen pipes.

“Well, me and my wife been in this house for 15 days and she hasn’t killed me yet. So, we’re doing good,” Semans joked to KELOLAND News over the phone on Tuesday. “Yeah, it’s something different that’s never happened in my lifetime. You know, to actually be snowed in not going to the store. I mean, not going to the gas station, not going up town, not checking the mail, just here snowed in.”

Semans said that at first, the snow came down making the gravel road leading to the house impassable. Then, when temperatures dropped to 50 below, Semans said the snow seemed to turn into cement with 20 foot drifts surrounding their home.

“You could walk on top of it almost without leaving a footprint. That’s how hard it got,” Semans said.

One week into the storm, Semans said the propane tank ran out and their son had to walk an hour through the bitter storm to reach the house with more propane.

“We’ve been lucky. Our electricity only went out for a few hours and came back on. So you know, we have our food and provisions and stuff. We start the car up every day to make sure that if we ever get out, it’ll start,” Semans said.

Not all families on Rosebud have been able to access propane, though. Semans said that prior to the storm, many residents, including his son, had placed orders to stock up on propane but the storm and impassable roads has prevented orders from reaching those who need it. Semans son is now without propane in the Grass Mountain area.

Water spigot that the Semans used until the water came back. Courtesy: OJ Semans

Semans said that they also lost water access for some time when the pipes froze due to the cold. But luckily, the couple had an outdoor spigot for the days without water.

“I had to start, digging around in different places and I had a general area. And so, I had to dig some steps in the snow bank and then start skimming the top of it. And I finally found it. So, we were able to use our spigot to have water inside the house until last night at midnight or water came back on,” Semans said.

Semans has spent most of the past two weeks working to get assistance from the Federal Emergency Maintenance Agency (FEMA).

“I consult for the tribes, so I’ve been working back and forth with FEMA emails and getting the paperwork ready. Trying to get the presidential declaration sent to the president to get some help down here,” Semans said.

After 15 days of being trapped at home, the Semans were rescued late Tuesday evening when tractors were able to break through the snow to their home.

After 15 days stuck at home, a tractor is able to break through the snow.

The timing could not have been better as the couple only had food and supplies to last them another few days, Semans said.

For other people on the reservation that are still snowed in, help like this is crucial.

“Monday night, we lost another individual who was stuck in White River, lived out in the country, kinda like I do. It took them a few hours to open the roads and get to his house. By the time they got there he was sick, they loaded him up and on the way back, he passed away,” Semans said

Semans estimates that between seven and ten people have died over the last few weeks.

“We still have people that are in dire straits and need to be rescued,” Semans said.

A lack of equipment has made the aftermath of the storm difficult to navigate, but the arrival of the National Guard has helped with removing vehicles and working on the roads, he added.

“I’m really proud of the tribe and our EPP workers that have been working, you know, 24/7. You know, some of them, it takes three hours to get a quarter mile, because that snow is so hard. So, but they’re doing it because it’s their relatives that they’re trying to get out,” Semans said.

Semans said that the sense of community has been strong because no matter where you are in that area, “It’s all family.”

“We are resilient, we will keep doing what we’re doing,” Semans said.